Already the Joker movie has left a permanent scar on my mental psyche, but now it seems I’m destined to be heckled by this discarded laugh track of a film franchise forever. From Todd Phillips, the visionary director of The Hangover, The Hangover 2, and The Hangover 3, comes the next punchline on a resumé full of bad jokes, Joker: Folie à Deux. Lady Gaga was rumored to be joining its cast, and now it’s official.
The source on that is the pop icon herself, whose social media announcement seems to confirm that she will be playing Harley Quinn, as expected. Those adjacent rumors about the sequel being a musical now seem even more likely.
Startling even myself, I had to look up whether or not Joaquin Pheonix has won an Oscar and immediately gave myself lasting mental damage when I was informed that he did indeed win an Academy Award for his performance in the 2019 horror/comedy Joker. I must have blacked that part out, probably because I was overcome with the euphoria of watching Bong Joon-Ho and Parasite just come out on top of that entire show.
Regardless of my personal feelings, Joker was well received by audiences, and enjoyed, at least in parts, by critics. There are plenty of people out there who are really looking forward to this film and I wish them well on their quest for peace, serenity, and opening-night theater tickets.
Joker: Folie à Deux is expected to open on October 4, 2024.
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